This year, leaders in the high pressure processing (HPP) industry and food and beverage companies who use HPP as a key food safety measure, formed the Cold Pressure Council (CPC). The CPC’s mission is to promote consumer awareness, industry standardization, and user education for HPP. As part of this mission, the CPC will oversee an HPP certification logo program for products that adhere to a standard HPP verification process.
“With the HPP certified program we’ve created, a logo will be available for CPC members to show verification of the proper use of HPP,” said Jeff Williams, chairman of the council and CEO of Avure. “Certification will ensure the processes in place are effective and being used to proper standards.”
Once a member’s HACCP plan, process, and validation studies are in good standing and verified by a third party, members can license the use of the High Pressure Certified logo. The council is establishing guidelines for use of the logo based on members’ application categories. The guidelines for HPP juice are complete and other product guidelines will be completed soon.
The CPC will also be involved in consumer education and messaging about HPP. The goal is to have the HPP Verified logo be as recognizable to consumers as the logos for organic, kosher, and non-GMO products.
The council is focusing on North America now, but it plans to become a global organization, bringing HPP standards and education to the global food and beverage industry. North America holds almost 60 percent of the global HPP market, with Europe coming in at 25 percent and Asia at 10 percent.
“It’s an exciting time for HPP,” said Williams. “HPP is a $12 billion-a-year retail industry and with consumers’ demand for clean label foods, we see the sector growing by leaps and bounds.”
For more information about the Cold Pressure Council, visit http://coldpressurecouncil.org.
